Black Friday Best - Are We Driven to Purchase?

Entering the store my ears locked on to some harsh sounding words..."I'll tear your arm off if you don' let go..." Hard to believe isn't it? Is it competing for the best deal that drives some to go out into the crowds, or is it something else, something, deeper? In the U.S. we take shopping as an art form, it seems to us to represent what we are about, in a very large and grand way, it represents freedom. In shopping we have freedom of choice, which is an incredible thing in itself. In shopping we have the expression of our ability, we receive monetary reward for our work, and in shopping we get to express that. In shopping we do what is for many a release- we simply float through the shops where people wait to wait on us (they may not be as happy to see us as we might be to see them, but on this day, they wait for us), and we enjoy being treated to such. Ah yes, the bliss of the shopping experience. Wake up and smell the coffee sweety- 'cause the real world, ain' like that- is it!

If people pushed us anymore to grab one more overpriced piece of fluff, we'd get so hacked off we'd throw it at 'em. I've seen it before, in a store, on this day, "Black Friday," the day after we've all out eaten ourselves and celebrated being American; for Thanksgiving is an American holiday- and we love it! But there they were, two ladies, fighting over a toy- "get your grubby hands off it," "I'll tear your arm off you don't let go, I had it first!" There it was; the right of eminent domain in shopping- she had it first, so naturally they should fight over it, right? How in the world could someone become so enamored over a toy that they'd be willing to fight over it?

What the other lady didn't know is that the first ladies grandson was involved, it was his plot to possess the ultimate fighting machine that drove grandma to the brink of hysteria on Black Friday. Grandchildren are so special, and this one was no exception, he had begun his plot in the middle of the year mentioning to her that it would sure be nice if he had one of those, and so, for six months, Grandma had been receiving both conscious messages from the little angel about wanting it, and subliminal messages from the toy manufacturers themselves about what a splendid Christmas gift this one would be- in July! After all this intense training that Grandma had been through, it was only natural that she'd brave the crowds, the rudeness, the pushing and shoving, to get a bargain sale price on her grandsons favorite thing in the world!

Mom number two, who is now in full push, is sure that she not only has to have this piece of toy, but her son will die, "I'll die...mom," if he doesn't have it. This has pushed mom to the brink of natural desire to provide for her cub, and who can blame her? As the store security woman got into the mix I moved away with the crowd, not wanting to gawk at the final scene, because on Christmas day, one of those children will be opening their dream toy, only to say- "thanks..." while thinking "yuck...this isn't a..." and it isn't that they are spoiled by choice, so much as it might be what they've been shown?